I now had 3 names of interest to search for.
Three people with the same last name are typically family, but that is not something that can be assumed. I started searching records on Ancestory.com for the three names that matched the same period.
I went through multiple family trees with the names listed, cross-referencing information from Civil War documentation.
At first, it seemed hopeless as none of the information matched the recorded documentation.
I hit a breakthrough going through the 1850 National Census. Along with a few other leads, I was able to begin to piece together the information and begin to make sense of the puzzle.
The key part was finding that John Coffee had two wives.
The Coffee Family
John Coffee (possibly a reverend) lived in Rabun, Georgia.
He married Lavina Carter, and they had their first child, William Rowland Coffee, on November 5, 1834.
Lavina died a year later, and a few years later, John remarried a woman named Martha.
John and Martha had many children, but the two important to our story are
Joel Hymer Coffee (ca 1839) and
James Lampkin Coffee (ca 1841)
Timeline
1861 - Ruben, Georgia
William, Joel, and James either enlist or are recruited into the Confederate Army.
They are assigned to the 24th Infantry Regiment, Group E.
William is 27
Joel is 22
and James is 20
The unit served in North Carolina, being moved to Virginia under the command of Generals H. Cobb, T.R.R. Cobb, DuBose, and Wofford
The regiment is listed as having fought an astounding sixteen battles before arriving in Fredericksburg.
1861
Roll Call
Coffee, James L - Private
Coffee, Joel Hymer - Private
Coffee, William R. - Private
On August 24, William was also elected as Sheriff of Rabun County.
1861 - October 31
Roll Call
Coffee, James L - Private
1862 - December 13
The regiment arrives at Fredericksburg (or shortly before this date).
1862 - December 15
During the battle of Fredericksburg, James is killed.
1863
Coffee, Joel Hymer appointed 3rd Sergent
Coffee, William R - discharged
1865 - January 30
Coffee, Joel Hymer - last record of being present in the military.
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